FA discloses the full extent of Paul Ince's actions as it reveals he
physically assaulted fourth official Mark Pottage while using a series of
expletives

The expletive-laden, 'eye-bulging' confrontation with a fourth official which led to Blackpool manager Paul Ince being hit with a five-game stadium ban has been laid bare in an astonishing 32-page report issued by the Football Association.

Ince was found to have confronted fourth official Mark Pottage in the tunnel at Bournemouth’s Dean Court Stadium on Sept 14 after being sent to the stands following an incident which led to a bottle thrown by the former England captain hitting a female steward on the foot.

And in a document entitled “The Decision and Reasons of the FA Regulatory Commission”, Ince is accused of igniting the clash with Pottage by asking referee Oliver Langford ‘where’s your busy f----- of a fourth?’

Ince, found guilty of three charges of misconduct for abusive/and or insulting words towards an official and behaviour “constituting violent conduct”, is accused by referee Langford of “violently shoving” Pottage before “repeatedly shouting in an aggressive manner, ‘I’ll knock you f------ out you ----’ ” to Pottage.

Ince, who denied using the ‘c’ word on the grounds that “everyone who knows me will vouch that the ‘c’ word is a word I do not use nor accept being used by any of my players, staff or friends”, admitted to using the ‘f’ word during his confrontation with Pottage – a man Ince described as a “big chap” who “intimidated” him.

Following confirmation of Ince’s five-game stadium ban and £4,000 fine earlier this month, the Blackpool Gazette and local broadcaster Radio Wave are to hand out 10,000 Ince masks to supporters attending Saturday’s Championship fixture against Wigan at Bloomfield Road in order to protest against the severity of the sanction.

But the full details of Ince’s personal hearing, in which the FA produced photographic and video evidence to support its action, highlight in graphic terms the full nature of the 45-year-old’s conduct following the Bournemouth fixture.

Langford said: “At the end of the game as we left the field of play into the tunnel area as a team of match officials we were confronted by a clearly irate Mr Paul Ince.

“On confronting us Mr Ince asked why he had been sent to the stand. I explained to Mr Ince the reason why he politely had been asked to leave the technical area.

“It was then a clearly frustrated Mr Ince said, ‘and where’s your busy f------ of a fourth?’ Mark Pottage, the fourth official, was stood behind Mr Ince at this time and said, ‘I’m here.’

“Mr Ince then turned around and violently shoved Mr Pottage with two hands in to the chest. Stewards then quickly stepped in and tried to usher Mr Ince to the dressing room area.

“As this occurred Mr Ince, being restrained by stewards and players of Blackpool, was repeatedly shouting in an aggressive manner ‘I’ll knock you f------ out you ----’ to Mr Pottage. Mr Ince’s eyes were bulging, he was clearly pointing as being pushed backwards by the stewards and repeatedly saying, ‘I’ll knock you f------ out you ----.’ ”

Dorset official Pottage, who accused Rae of “coming right up to my face as if to try to put his forehead on my chin”, echoed Langford’s statement by describing Ince as being “violent” and “aggressive”.

“Mr Ince turned round, looked at me in the eyes and violently shoved me by pushing me with two hands on my chest making me slightly lose my balance and banging my back into the wall,” Pottage said.

“The stewards then quickly stepped in and restrained Mr Ince and then tried to usher Mr Ince towards his team’s dressing room. As they were trying to do this, Mr Ince shouted to me saying ‘I’ll knock you f------ out you ----’ repeatedly in an aggressive manner.”

Ince, having admitted to saying “I’ll f------ knock you out’ at least once, issued a ‘wholehearted’ apology, despite accusing Pottage of sparking the incident by alerting the referee to his bottle throwing.

“I admit, and wholeheartedly apologise for, my post-match reactions as reported by the match officials involved in the game,” Ince said. “I disagree with some of the points made in the statements in support of the charge and am especially concerned with important incidents that have not been included in any of the reports.

“I also maintain that Mr Pottage’s actions were a contributory factor in the escalation of this regrettable incident. In hindsight I should have been the bigger person and stepped away from Mr Pottage after he fronted me up and I should have reported Mr Pottage and his behaviour through the correct channels.”